Winter is on the way

 There is a definite nip in the air to remind us that winter is just around the corner. I am sure many people who suffered through a really humid summer don't mind the cooler weather. April has  presented many challenges for our family and we have been the recipients of many flowers etc. including this beautiful arrangement of proteas. I have never grown proteas here to be honest but they seem to be very hardy.

A new find

 I meet with some friends most weeks for coffee and we try to support small businesses in our town. Recently we found 95 Mary Street which is just exquisite with its chandeliers and beautiful decor. If you are ever visiting our city, do call in there and I am sure you won't be disappointed. 

A busy month for our city

It is September which means the flowers in our city are blooming and  the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers  has begun. The Carnival runs for the whole month so there is plenty of time for visitors to make the trip up the Toowoomba Range. 

 

Last month's hail storm damage

On the 18th October we had hail like we haven't had for many, many years. Fortunately it was only small hail and none of our windows were smashed which was just as well as it was hitting the windows on the western side really hard. The outside walls were covered in pecan nut tree leaves which my hubby hosed off after the storm and we didn't notice until the next day the damage that had been done in the garden. 

Weeds, Workshops and Rain

 Last Saturday our Simple Living Toowoomba group held a workshop titled 'Identifying Weeds' which was presented by Tim Nash a local soil scientist and secretary of Permaculture Toowoomba.

You can never have too many plants!

 During winter we had one really heavy frost which damaged a lot of our bromeliads growing under the pecan nut tree. Unfortunately they had no protection as the leaves had all fallen off but normally we don't have any issues at all with frost. Seeing as the Bromeliad and Succulent Show was on at the weekend we headed there to buy some new broms to replace those we had lost although most of them will eventually recover by the looks of them. As I always seem to lose the labels on plants I will write the names down now for future reference when that happens. 

Lorena Lector

More Carnival Flowers

We have been having some very warm days here so last Friday a friend and I took a look at Laurel Bank Park before the weekend crowds arrived in town. The 2021 Carnival of Flowers theme in the park is 'I See a Dinosaur'.  

A Hive of Activity

 As anyone who has been reading my blog for a while would know, September is the month when our city becomes a hive of activity as thousands of tourists descend on the area to view the spectacular parks and gardens that come into bloom at the beginning of Spring. 

At long last

It took a long time but at last the pineapple which started growing last December was finally ripe and we were able to pick it. It wasn't as flavoursome as I had expected it to be but it wasn't sour thankfully. It was much more yellow than the pineapples that are on sale at the fruit shops which are still green and some of them are quite sour.  

A Walk in the Park

 When I was visiting our local Farmers' Market a week or so ago I crossed the road to Queens Park to see what the gardens were looking like. This park is one of Toowoomba's most popular as it is an easy walk from the CBD and attracts visitors year round. 

Christmas Markets

 Normally at this time of the year we have quite a few Christmas markets and this year is no exception. All of them seem to be going ahead during the pandemic apart from the Cobb and Co Museum's Handmade under the Stars which has been cancelled for 2020. I am not sure why one event goes ahead and another is cancelled but there seem to be a number of inconsistencies where restrictions are concerned. At the moment the annual Bush Christmas  is in full swing. This is an exhibition where artisans from remote areas can showcase and sell their arts and crafts and, believe me, they are a very creative lot. 

Using up old craft supplies

 Years ago I used to do a lot of craftwork and even sold some for a time to help pay for school fees, etc. when the children were growing up. Over the years I have given away most of the supplies I had collected but did keep some decoupage and jewellery items as I thought they would come in handy. At one of the annual craft shows I attended in Brisbane I bought some gold foil which I don't think I actually used back then and wondered if it would still be usable after twenty or so years. The glue in the kit hadn't dried up after all that time so I thought I would give it a try on some indoor plant pots. 

Counting down the days

 Well, who would have thought that the Carnival of Flowers would go ahead in 2020 but, short of an outbreak of COVID-19 in our city in the next few days, it will start on Friday. Visitors to our parks have already started arriving and the weather has been fine and pleasant so far.

Parks and a birthday

I had a birthday recently and met up with my friends over a period of a week and one of the venues we visited was Picnic Point which is a great place to visit if you are ever in Toowoomba.

Birthday flowers looking a tad out of focus 😳

A new month

Aren't the months just flying by? We are already in August and have only one month left of our coolish weather before the heat starts up again. Our fire season here in Queensland goes from late July to February so we are already being reminded of that fact on the TV stations. I must say that even though I have been whinging a bit about the recent cold days I really enjoy the winter months as normally the mornings are cool and then we have a lovely sunny and warm day. Perfect gardening weather!

Winter flowers

Our 'Bubble' has burst!

As most Aussies would know our Queensland border opened to interstate visitors last Friday and since then at least 17,000 have travelled into Queensland. People who have been in Victoria in the past two weeks are not allowed to cross the border and some cars have been refused entry but I am sure there have been some who have slipped in according to media reports. So our little bubble we have been living in since the beginning of April has well and truly burst and a lot of Queenslanders are now holding their breath waiting to see if we have a spike in COVID-19 infections like there is currently in the highly populated cities of Melbourne and Sydney. 

The Carnival has begun.

The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers started yesterday and today our city was fairly buzzing. I thought I would head down to the Farmers' Market early to beat the crowds but at 7.30am or so it was already quite busy. As the market is just across the road from one of our premier parks, Queens Park,  I took the opportunity to zip over there and take some photos before the thousands of visitors arrived.

Getting ready for more dry weather

The weather forecast for our region is for more dry and warm weather for the next few months. It is weeks since we have had rain and the soil is as hard as a rock. I have been trying to keep some of the veggies alive as well as some plants I don't want to lose but have decided to do what we did during the last long drought and plant succulents which don't require a lot of water.

A birthday, cows and icy winds

I have had a lovely week celebrating my birthday with friends and tomorrow there will be more celebrating. When you get to 71 having a birthday shouldn't be taken lightly I guess as I have already lost a brother and two friends to cancer who were only in their early sixties. I have a number of really good friends some of whom I have known for over forty years.

Beautiful camellias

This morning I went to the Camellia and Garden Expo at the Toowoomba TAFE which is right next to the Cobb and Co Museum where our local farmer's market is held each Saturday. The last time I attended it was a cold rainy day which made it very miserable for everyone as most of the stall holders were outside in the weather. However this year it turned out to be a beautiful winter's day which was warm and sunny after a cold morning.